Nautical Flag 101
Mark your calendar, June 14th is Flag Day! This holiday celebrates the United States officially adopting the flag all the way back in 1777. At our Ocean Havens marinas, we love seeing flags flying high on all the different boats we welcome, both the American flag and all the other flags that represent our valued guests and their backgrounds.
Flags are incredibly important to the boating industry, are you confident in your nautical flag knowledge? Nautical flags come in select shapes, and only consist of different combinations of the same five colors – red, blue, white, black, and yellow. But the designs on each convey different meanings that help boaters communicate with one another at sea.
An A flag (yes, there is a flag for each letter of the alphabet!) is white and blue and means that there is a diver below the surface, so keep clear to be safe. A W flag looks reminiscent to a bullseye, with blue, white, and red intervals. This signals that medical assistance is needed. A Y flag consists of red and yellow diagonal stripes and lets other boaters know that a vessel is dragging anchor.
Review all the nautical flags and their meanings below.